J. Randal Matheny

Service comes naturally to Christians once they begin to appreciate all that has been done for them. As our love for the Christ grows deeper our desire to serve him rises too. It is a natural maturing of our faith that we seek to imitate our Lord in all ways.  As he loved and served so we love and serve; we do things that put others first even at discomfort and inconvenience to ourselves.

Let us burn the words of this good brother into our hearts. His whole article deserves a close and careful reading, not once, but twice. And not once does he mention servant leaders! Good for him, since the Bible doesn't either. Click the link above and read it in its entirety.

After every time of exaltation we are brought down with a sudden rush into things as they are where it is neither beautiful nor poetic nor thrilling. The height of the mountain top is measured by the drab drudgery of the valley; but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God. We see His glory on the mount, but we never live for His glory there. It is in the sphere of humiliation that we find our true worth to God, that is where our faithfulness is revealed.

The valley is the crush of the crucible, where we are proved, where faith is tested, and where we learn from our failures to discover the power of our Lord to transform failure to success, slavery into freedom, selfishness into service for His glory.